Navia, Jewell of Cromarra
Locations: The Barrier Jagged rocks, reef and stone that raises above the sea line about 20-30 feet (depending on the location), and about 400 feet wide. It surrounds the islands of Navia, allowing passage only through a series of mazes. Navia - Capital of the Navia Islands, home of the Navian Government and the largest trading hub above the sea. Jarune Floating naval ship, designed to train new recruits of the Navian Trade Marines and the small size city. This floating fortress is also known as Pirates’ Bane. Armed for long term combat, Jarune is the pinnacle of Navian defense. Mylo Small, rural island. Lived on by farmers and fishers, this island, like many others, is often the victim of pirate attacks and protection racquets. Lotos Galin Near the north-west edge of the Navian Islands, it is a heaven to all Pirates. Filled with bars, companions, gambling sites and general mayhem, it is often the location where two feuding factions meet to discuss terms, war or trade agreements. Valnia A larger island South of Navia, and home of it’s biggest industries. The best markets, craftsmen, and higher education reside here, tiered by it’s natural mountain ledges. Class distinction thrives here, as the ledges allow the current ruling body to “encourage” those of lesser income and education to live in the lower levels. High tides and flooding often threaten the lower levels. Dartan A mid size island that is north west of Mylo. It is a more populated island (Housing about 25,000 people) and is the closest island located to the Barrier entrance (Please note this is the most obvious entrance to the Barrier, but not the only entrance). Untouchables are known to visit this island, as much as an island this far out could be (Usually an Untouchable will visit the island once every 6-9 months at the most and only for brief restocking normally). The city on the island is divided by the large open market in the centre of the city, separating the middle-upper class (to the north of the market) and the middle-lower class (to the south). There is a Government office to the east, near the port (Able to hold 2-5 larger galleys). Seashell Islands Located East (And slightly North) of Dartan. They are series of protected islands with about 50 foot deep shallows in between them. They are some of the few islands with full forests on them. These islands are often surrounded by a thick mist that blocks sight beyond 1KM. These islands cannot be approached legally unless given express permission from the Central Navian Government. They are patrolled by at least 4 Trade Marine ships at any given moment. Any ship attempting to land on these islands must remain about 1 KM off of shore as the water becomes too shallow. These islands have been known to house rangers that are apart of the Navian Government but not members of the Trade Marines. Their roles are to keep all non-authorized (Including Trade Marines) off the island. ￼ Other islands exist and can be created as needed. Underwater inhabitants exist, but not in the same number as the rest of Cromara. Currency: 1 Gram of Pearl is equal to 1 Gold. Government: The government of Navia focuses on the Islands closest to the centre and those large enough to support self-sustained business (Like Valnia and, to some degree Lotos Galin). Often the local officials for a region of smaller islands will ignore or be bribed to ignore the illegal elements going on in the area. The Trade Marines are the military support for the Navian government. They hold no love for those who call themselves Pirates and will pursue even the smallest of crews to achieve clear seas. Most Trade Marines will assist those in need, however, on the outer islands, their presence is scarce. It always belongs to someone. Found treasure belongs to whomever owns the land, if no one owns the land, it belongs to the local government, if no government owns the area, it belongs to the Navian Government. Each island has it’s own form of government and operates in a city-state fashion. Laws and rules may change from island to island, but Navia does enforce some more “global” laws. Pirate Bounties, Trade Marine enforcement, and trade regulations are chief among them. The Navian Government is made up from representatives of any island with a population of 20,000 or greater. There is no consistent party for the governments, as each island is able to form it’s own law, but they can still elect and send a representative. The more economic and stable central islands often control the flow and direction of the Navian Government. Trade Marine Information and Resources Division is the section that gathers and processes information regarding bounties and relevant information that concerns the Navian Government. They also employ spies that have no arresting power and immunity for their actions to join pirate crews of interest. Their roles are to gather personality profiles and determine who may be a threat and/or may be some to consider for an Untouchable vote. Information regarding this division is scarce. If a Playing Character attempts to make a knowledge check for anything involving this division the DC should be 35 normally for just the basic of information (Barring backstory reasons). ￼ Untouchables: The Untouchables are a select and powerful set of Pirates that have had their bounties suspended indefinitely. In return for their free reign around Navia, they become extensions of the Trade Marines in extreme situations. Members of the Untouchables have a crew and large ship. In terms of power, their abilities and skill each rival that of the Jarune fortress ship, if not more so. A majority of the time, the Untouchables will reside on their own private islands or ships and ignore the normal ongoings of Navia. Their interests mostly focus rare and dangerous treasures or personal feuds with other Untouchables. There are only a maximum of 7 Untouchables endorsed by Navia at any given time. They are voted on by a Navian council and a messenger is sent to invite them to a private confirmation interview. Other Untouchables are invited, but not required to be present at this interview. Pirates: Pirates can be referred to as treasure seekers and or mercenaries. It is not exclusively synonymous with thief and villain. Pirates are defined by flying a non-register flag on any sea faring ship according to the Trade Marine guidelines and will be treated as such by anyone in Navia. They also wear branded clothes, tattoos or actual brands showcasing their insignia while not on the ship. There are no codes or global rules for Pirates in Navia. Pirates are wary of each other as they are of Trade Marines. Pirates compare themselves to each other by their bounties. The higher the bounty, the stronger the Pirate. When a Pirate defeats or kills another Pirate, that defeated Pirate’s bounty is added to the victor’s. If a Pirate defeats or kills an Untouchable, that Pirate does not automatically get Untouchable status; Since an Untouchable’s bounty (Which is suspended) may not accurately reflect their achievements, the Pirate that defeats an Untouchable may get more added to their bounty. Bounties have to be opened by the Government, but can be modified by private citizens to increase it’s value. Example: If a pirate wrongs a private business man, the business man may approach a government official and stake additional pearls toward that pirate’s capture. ￼Pirates whose bounties exceed the 80th percentile, when caught, are to be executed at the closest court house or city equivalent. Known World NPCs: Glenn: A Ranger on the north Seashell Island, he has made his home and life here for 2 years now. Not much is known about this Grippli’s life before becoming a Ranger, nor how he became one for the Seashell islands. Commander Rhume: A corrupt Trade Marine, in charge of the division placed Dartan who was running a protection racket. During an investigation into why two of his collectors ended up dead during a routine collection, Captain Duross and crew members of Captain Helios’ crew engaged him and 60 of his agents. While not considered a defeat, Commander Rhume did lose control of the battle and allowed Captain Duross and his crew escape. Captain Duross: A half-orc, half BoJonian pirate who claims to be from beyond the Barrier. Captain Duross is a half-druid (Aquatic) half-monk pirate who employes a non- lethal combat style in most combats, unless under direct mortal harm. Captain Duross is known mostly for his treasure hunting and quests for adventure than for raiding or swindling. Captain Duross was last seen onboard his ship, the Mullato, engaged in combat with Captain Quinton, Captain Lansdowne and the Trade Marines. His banner is blood drops over a BoJonian family crest. (Navians do not recognize.) Captain Lansdowne: Xavier Lansdowne is the newest member of the Untouchables and the only man verified by the Navian Government to have been beyond the Barrier. Captain Lansdowne has a reputation of being rambunctious and cocky. He wields dual pistols with extended barrels. His guns do not look like anything of the area, with no need to reload after each shot and much larger bullets. He has been known to use the longer barrels of his guns to block or deflect melee weapons to great affect. His banner is two guns (designed like his) under the standard pirate skull. Captain Quinton: Maverick Quinton is the oldest active pirate and longest active member of the Untouchables. He is approaching 73 years in age and is still an intimidating force on the battle field and at sea. He wields a battle axe as his favourite weapon, but is quite competent with most pistols and blunderbuss. He honours old Navian traditions and has attended every known Untouchable interview and voting panel. Rumour has it that he has only ever walked out on one interview were the candidate was still elected - Captain Lansdowne’s. His banner has changed over the years, it is currently the traditional pirate logo with long strains of hair from the skull (Think of Crypt Keeper hair). Storyline: We start off on Mylo, you can either be from Mylo or just happen to be in the area. Captain Helios of the ship Marjoram, has made port, badly damaged. Recently recovering from a mutiny, Captain Helios is looking to replenish supplies and if necessary, new crew members. Helios has discovered the locations of Pirate stockpiles and has been striking out at ideal moments to steal it. The last raid yielded an unexpected surprise, as they have retrieved information regarding the location to a very old, and powerful weapon thought destroyed. Long ago, the native inhabitants of Navia Islands were an avian bipedal race of people. Hyper intelligent and inventive, Navians often got into civil wars over the limited real- estate. Over time, as the sea level rose and land became more scarce, their feuds became bloodier and bloodier. No one is sure what happened to them in the end, as the only reason people know they existed is from old fossils and undersea remnants. Once Captain Helios gets back up to speed, he plans on continuing his quest to acquire the weapon of the True Navians and assert his dominance over the Navia Islands... And maybe all of Cromara... Plot Points/Goal: This is designed to be an adventure, allowing us to tell a short story for each DM session. Ideally, we should wrap up our “Arch” at the end of our sessions. The first location of the Navian Weapon will reveal an old non-working prototype and a clue to the next location. The next location will have blueprints. This starts the quest for building the weapon. During this time, the player group should be challenged to think wether they should help Helios achieve his goal or not. The group will need to seek out someone who can understand and assemble the weapon. This person will be a Lawful Good alignment and will have be kidnaped or coerced into doing so. End goal is to either assemble the weapon and assist in the occupation of Navia or to change sides suddenly and mutiny against Helios.